Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo looks doomed to start his penultimate race with the team with yet another grid penalty.
Ricciardo was forced to take a new turbocharger for the Brazilian Grand Prix. It's his sixth of the season when only three are allowed all season, so it incurs a five-place drop on Sunday.
The change comes after his retirement from the Mexican Grand Prix with ten laps to go, having started from pole position. His team mate Max Verstappen went on to win the race.
After the disappointment, Ricciardo vented that he might not even show up for the final two races of the season before his switch to Renault over the winter. However he later clarified the remarks, insisting that they were never intended to be taken seriously.
In total, Ricciardo has suffered eight retirements in 2018 - six of them for technical reasons. He started from the back of the grid in Italy and Russia due to power unit-related penalties.
A five place drop doesn't mean that the Australian is completely down and out this weekend. He could still start as high as sixth place on the grid even if there are no additional penalties for other drivers.
So far, the FIA has not reported any other power unit changes being undertaken. However if they are, they will be applied after Ricciardo's drop had been imposed.
That's because sanctions are calculated in the order in which cars go out on the circuit once the change is made. Ricciardo made sure his penalty would be addressed first by waiting at the pit lane exit for almost ten minutes before the start of Friday morning's first free practice session.
Here's the rest of the power unit element situation, which includes Ricciardo's latest update:
Power Element Usage
| Driver | ICE | TC | MGU-H | MGU-K | ES | CE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercedes | ||||||
| Lewis Hamilton | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Valtteri Bottas | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Ferrari | ||||||
| Sebastian Vettel | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Kimi Räikkönen | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Red Bull/TAG Heuer | ||||||
| Daniel Ricciardo | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| Max Verstappen | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Force India/Mercedes | ||||||
| Sergio Pérez | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Esteban Ocon | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Williams/Mercedes | ||||||
| Lance Stroll | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Sergey Sirotkin | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Renault | ||||||
| Nico Hülkenberg | 5 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Carlos Sainz | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Toro Rosso/Honda | ||||||
| Brendon Hartley | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 4 |
| Pierre Gasly | 8 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
| Haas/Ferrari | ||||||
| Romain Grosjean | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Kevin Magnussen | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| McLaren/Renault | ||||||
| Fernando Alonso | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Stoffel Vandoorne | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Sauber/Ferrari | ||||||
| Marcus Ericsson | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Charles Leclerc | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Notes:
- ICE: Internal Combustion Engine
- TC: Turbo Charger
- MGU-H: Motor Generator Unit – Heat
- MGU-K: Motor Generator Unit – Kinetic
- ES: Energy Store
- CE: Control Electronics
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